Lathera are a family of Greek dishes in which humble vegetables are gently stewed in lashings of olive oil until marvelously unctuous. Except for some upfront chopping, the oven does most of the work in the rendition used by Andros Taverna’s Doug Psaltis, taming onions, garlic, dill, and tomato purée into a mellow sauce for oil-drunk peas. At Andros, it’s served as a side dish, but per Psaltis, a hunk of feta and some crusty bread for sopping are the only things missing to make it a meal in itself.
Andros Taverna’s Pea Latheros
Makes: 4 servings
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
| 1 cup | olive oil |
| 4 cups | fresh or frozen shelled peas |
| 2 cups | diced onion |
| 1 cup | chopped dill, plus more for serving |
| ½ tsp. | kosher salt, plus more for seasoning |
| ¼ cup | finely chopped garlic |
| 1 cup | tomato purée |
| ¼ tsp. | pepper |
| Crusty bread and feta, for serving (optional) |
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven or casserole dish, combine olive oil, peas, onion, dill, and a generous pinch of salt, stirring to coat. Roast until onion begins to soften, about 25 minutes.
2. Remove the dish from the oven and add garlic, stirring to distribute. Resume roasting until garlic becomes fragrant, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove the dish from the oven again and stir in tomato purée. Continue roasting for 2 hours, then remove from the oven.
4. Stir in pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Taste, adjusting seasoning as needed. Garnish with dill and serve with bread and feta if desired.